When asked if he would consider being a “spokesperson” for agriculture, Mike “Dirty Jobs” Rowe said, “I don’t think American agriculture needs a spokesman, I think they need an advocate. And the advocates I believe they need are people like me who have shown a long term addiction to chewing and swallowing.”
Mike was kind enough to meet with the farm media in a press conference prior to his appearance before thousands of farmers and ranchers at the American Farm Bureau Federation 92nd annual meeting closing session. His admiration for agriculture was evident as he talked about the many farm families he has met in the course of filming the Discovery Channel program “Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.”
“I want the show to be a series of examples that show farmers as they are and that just quietly celebrates the business of getting the job done,” he said. “The more opportunities I have just to show farmers being farmers, that’s the best way that I can think of to help move the needle.” Mike has been doing the show for seven years and says he’s worked on most types of farms.
During his address, Mike talked about some of his favorite farming episodes, like the Colorado sheep farm where he learned to castrate lambs with his teeth, and found out why it is better for the animal than the HSUS-recommended method of using a rubber band. He struck chords with the nation’s farm and ranch families when he talked about letters he has received from groups like PETA and federal agencies like EPA over programs that featured agriculture jobs.
Enjoy Mike Rowe’s AFBF press conference comments here: Mike Rowe AFBF press conference